Nothing validates the saying, “all that is necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing” better than does the mess Republicans have made of Congress.
The absurd struggle to elect a speaker says it all. Look at how many voted against Jim Jordan in a secret ballot compared with the results of the open ballots and how a word from Trump scuttled the prospects of a rational conservative who voted to confirm the results of the 2020 election and supports gay marriage.
Since they ultimately picked the most extreme MAGA congressman possible as speaker, perhaps the notion that there are actually any good men or women in the Republican party could be disputed. However, I think there are at least some who are less evil than they are cowards, afraid to take a stand that would destroy their re-election chances.
While Republican representatives have good reason to fear Trump and the voters they must appeal to, they have a better reason to act on conscience and do what’s right for the country rather than for their re-election prospects.
What point is there in running for office if you don’t plan on using your position to accomplish something worthwhile? The so-called “RHINOs” (who, as with all of Trump-speak are actually the opposite of that term) have the power to govern if they stop giving in to their own cowardice.
Unfortunately, the appeal of power and the gravy train that comes with a Congressional seat override any impulse to stand up and do the right thing. That cowardice is going to destroy the nation that these hypocrites profess to love.
Arguably America’s greatest weakness is the profound ignorance and prejudice of the voters whom these candidates must woo if they are to be elected. For the most part, though, these voters are simply dupes, while the MAGA officials they support are knaves.
If the “reasonable” Republicans (perhaps an oxymoron) had an ounce of courage and moral conviction they would vote against the wishes of the people they represent, not in accord with them. Had they an ounce of integrity they would tell their constituents that the nation’s welfare and security depends on them to govern wisely. They are not required to endorse or vote for every idiotic, prejudiced, misperceived cause the people who elected them support.
Quite the contrary. In accord with the intent of the Founders, they have been elected to provide a bulwark against the rule of the great unwashed that “pure” democracy would unleash. Through their cowardice, however, these representatives have unleashed it. Besides voting wisely and engaging in bipartisan compromise, the most helpful thing they could do would be to educate their constituents to the truth, rather than to kowtow to their misperceptions.
None of these folks desperately needs the job. They could do fine in almost any field they might choose. If the voters fired them, they wouldn’t starve. If they were to use their position properly, they could accomplish much, but if they don’t, what difference does it make if they are voted out in favor of candidates who will accomplish the same (non)result actively that they are now accomplishing passively.
These representatives will never read this essay or even a letter from anyone from outside of their districts, but I wish they would. Perhaps the dreadfully dangerous results of their cowardice would sink in and they would surprise us.
Perhaps, but I for one am not holding my breath.
An Author's Inner Mind 